Discussion of Robin Garr's Shaker Village review

[Robin Garr]

Peace, calm and good eats at Shaker Village
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr



Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, also known as Shakertown, may be my No. 1 favorite spot for a quick getaway road trip with a quiet, calm and peaceful rest at the destination. And, by no means least, good things to eat.

Shaker Village is a beautiful, peaceful place where you can stay overnight in the original 19th century buildings and dine very well indeed in the Trustees' House building that has been offering rest and restoration to weary travelers since the early 1800s. I’ve been visiting Shakertown since I was a teen-ager and think of it as a very special place, but to be honest, I haven’t thought of it as a first-rate foodie destination in recent years, as it had dropped off to decent but uninspiring country fare with a Shaker touch.

Recently, though, Shaker Village has forged a new connection with the natural and locavore dining movement. It pledges to use "Seed to Table" vegetables from the village garden, vegetables from local farmers, and Kentucky Proud meats and produce.

I could eat that! And indeed, dinner and a buffet breakfast on a recent visit were delicious, flavorful and freshly made. I wandered out one dewy morning and found one of the chefs lugging a big box of just-picked heirloom tomatoes in from the garden. (I also observed a SYSCO truck unloading staples, including - I was later told - the admittedly delicious breakfast sausage. But let's give them credit for trying.)

Atmosphere remains a strong point at Shaker Village. What's the downside to dining in the perfect simplicity of Shaker style? Whether you choose the red-brick sun porch with its tall French doors overlooking the gardens and farm, or one of the more traditional Shaker dining rooms, you're surrounded by the friendly ghosts of Shakers past as soon as you sit down. ...

Perhaps the most significant change in the history of Shaker Village dining came a few years ago when Mercer County voters, in their wisdom, flocked to the polls and declared the county "wet." Yes, Shakertown has a wine list now, and beer and liquor, too!

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/peace ... er-village

And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/peace-calm- ... er-village

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill
3501 Lexington Road (Ky. Hwy. 68)
Harrodsburg, Ky.
800-734-5611
http://shakervillageky.org
Rating: 88

We've eaten there many times over the years, more for the ambiance than the food, but the food is sometimes quite good and never terrible. Whenever we order the chicken, we always ask for dark meat only, which solves the dry-breast problem. Our biggest complaint is that they have removed chess pie from their menu. It still shows up as a special from time to time, but the recipe has been altered. The original recipe was one of the best pies I've ever had. The lemon pie is really good too, though!